Irritability-short fuse

[welshdory]

Hi I suffer with anxiety, depression and undiagnosed OCD. I have been on AD meds on and off for years. I have recently increased from 15mg to 20mg Escitralopram.

I have noticed that I am feeling extremely irritable recently and not sure if this is down to the increase or life events?.

My hubbie is terminally ill and we have young kids, so life is busy and stressful in general.

Any suggestions for my irritability? I keep it all in and hide behind a smile but I'm desperate to get back to feeling more like myself, despite the stressful life events that are going on.

Any suggestions or advice greatly received x

[Fishmanpa]

Well you certainly have a lot going on and that with a med increase, that certainly can be the reason for your increased stress and irritability. Heck, that would get to someone regardless of anxiety. I'm not a sufferer but after my cancer treatment I suffered with what I called 'scanxiety' as I had to get scanned and examined every three months for the first two years after treatment and with a 50/50 chance of a recurrence, it was very stressful. My 'scanxiety' manifested itself as irritability. I spoke to my doctor and he prescribed buspirone, a non-SSRI med that I could start and stop with little to no side effects. When I felt the irritability coming on a couple weeks ahead of my appointments, I would start taking the med and it really did help take the edge off. I could stop after the appointment and all clear. The other things I did were distractions. Listening to music, reading etc. Just tried to keep myself busy as to not ruminate on things.

FMP

[pulisa]

Hi I suffer with anxiety, depression and undiagnosed OCD. I have been on AD meds on and off for years. I have recently increased from 15mg to 20mg Escitralopram.

I have noticed that I am feeling extremely irritable recently and not sure if this is down to the increase or life events?.

My hubbie is terminally ill and we have young kids, so life is busy and stressful in general.

Any suggestions for my irritability? I keep it all in and hide behind a smile but I'm desperate to get back to feeling more like myself, despite the stressful life events that are going on.

Any suggestions or advice greatly received x

Do you have any emotional support to help you offload some of the terrible stress you must be under constantly? It's so hard keeping that "face" on when you are in mental pain and suffering and internalising all the time can make you feel really angry and resentful. It's very draining caring for a loved one and you need an outlet as you have young children as well to care for. The NHS offer a counselling service through IAPT. You can refer yourself and don't need to see a GP.

Carers are often overlooked despite all the hype. You have such a lot on your plate and are entitled to feel as you do. It's just a manifestation of the pressure you are under.

[Pamplemousse]

What Pulisa said, really.

A couple of decades ago now my shift patterns changed at work to being random days and at any period in the 24 hours of a day, often changed with little notice or added at short notice. That was bad enough, then add in my now-late wife's deteriorating health and mobility issues and her own mental health issues and I too became very short-tempered, often with her at the receiving end - something I can no longer put right. She often told me that she hated walking on eggshells around me. It got even worse when my mother died as I felt she wasn't allowing me to grieve for my mother. Wrong, of course.

Sadly, I can't swap places with her now or make amends for it but I understand why you are feeling this way.